Convert net pressure and effective area to thrust, reverse-solve pressure or area, or derive circular and annular actuator area from diameters with full unit conversion.
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Pressure To Thrust Formula
The following formula is used to calculate thrust from pressure.
- Where T is the thrust (N)
- P is the net pressure difference acting on the effective area (Pa = N/m²); opposing pressure on an unequal area requires a separate force balance.
- A is the area (m^2)
To calculate ideal static thrust, multiply the net pressure difference by its effective area. For a single-rod cylinder with backpressure, use the full force balance pcapAbore − prodAannulus, then account for friction. The geometry mode assumes negligible opposing gauge pressure.
| Pressure (psi) | Pressure (Pa) | Pressure (bar) | Pressure (atm) | Thrust (N) | Thrust (kN) | Thrust (lbf) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6894.76 | 0.0689476 | 0.068046 | 6894.76 | 6.8948 | 1550.00 |
| 2 | 13789.52 | 0.1378952 | 0.136092 | 13789.52 | 13.7895 | 3100.01 |
| 5 | 34473.80 | 0.3447380 | 0.340230 | 34473.80 | 34.4738 | 7750.02 |
| 10 | 68947.60 | 0.6894760 | 0.680460 | 68947.60 | 68.9476 | 15500.03 |
| 15 | 103421.40 | 1.0342140 | 1.020690 | 103421.40 | 103.4214 | 23250.05 |
| 20 | 137895.20 | 1.3789520 | 1.360920 | 137895.20 | 137.8952 | 31000.06 |
| 25 | 172369.00 | 1.7236900 | 1.701150 | 172369.00 | 172.3690 | 38750.08 |
| 30 | 206842.80 | 2.0684280 | 2.041380 | 206842.80 | 206.8428 | 46500.09 |
| 40 | 275790.40 | 2.7579040 | 2.721840 | 275790.40 | 275.7904 | 62000.12 |
| 50 | 344738.00 | 3.4473800 | 3.402300 | 344738.00 | 344.7380 | 77500.16 |
| 60 | 413685.60 | 4.1368560 | 4.082760 | 413685.60 | 413.6856 | 93000.19 |
| 80 | 551580.80 | 5.5158080 | 5.443680 | 551580.80 | 551.5808 | 124000.25 |
| 100 | 689476.00 | 6.8947600 | 6.804600 | 689476.00 | 689.4760 | 155000.31 |
| 150 | 1034214.00 | 10.3421400 | 10.206900 | 1034214.00 | 1034.2140 | 232500.47 |
| 200 | 1378952.00 | 13.7895200 | 13.609200 | 1378952.00 | 1378.9520 | 310000.62 |
| 250 | 1723690.00 | 17.2369000 | 17.011500 | 1723690.00 | 1723.6900 | 387500.78 |
| 300 | 2068428.00 | 20.6842800 | 20.413800 | 2068428.00 | 2068.4280 | 465000.93 |
| 400 | 2757904.00 | 27.5790400 | 27.218400 | 2757904.00 | 2757.9040 | 620001.24 |
| 500 | 3447380.00 | 34.4738000 | 34.023000 | 3447380.00 | 3447.3800 | 775001.55 |
| 1000 | 6894760.00 | 68.9476000 | 68.046000 | 6894760.00 | 6894.7600 | 1550003.10 |
| Ideal static thrust = net pressure difference × effective area. Values assume A = 1.00 m². Columns use independently rounded reference conversions: 6894.76 Pa/psi, 0.0689476 bar/psi, 0.068046 atm/psi, and 1550.0031000062 lbf per (psi·m²). Small differences from the calculator reflect rounding. | ||||||
How is pressure converted to thrust?
Thrust is a force. For a uniform pressure difference acting over a flat effective area, multiply that pressure difference by the area to find ideal static thrust.
How to calculate thrust from pressure?
Example Problem:
The following example outlines how to calculate thrust from pressure.
First, determine the net pressure difference. In this example, it is 500 N/m².
Next, determine the total area that pressure is acting on. In this case, the total area is calculated to be 20 m^2.
Finally, calculate the thrust using the formula above:
T = P * A
T = 500 * 20
T = 10,000 N
